Descendants of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher: In 1.4 and 1.5 the Chronicler included the southern and eastern (Transjordanian) tribes in his genealogical constructions. There, although the Chronicler’s focus is very much on Judah, Levi, and Benjamin in his overall construction, he also included Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh in his genealogies, probably to strengthen the inclusivity of his definition of All-Israel.

The next section of the Chronicler’s genealogy takes the reader northward to focus on those tribes traditionally considered to be part of the northern kingdom, Israel. Their link with the ancestor, Israel, is of course clear, since this next section (like the previous one) is closely linked to 2:1–2, where the writer listed the sons of Israel. Howe…